Jeff Mattson, MA, ORGL

As an Organizational Leadership Consultant, I leverage my expertise and experience with small businesses, corporations, non-profits, higher education and start-ups to share highly effective tools with business executives, managers, and their teams. The result of utilizing the tools is that you become the leader you long to be, and see results you hope for in your organization. At Living Wholehearted, we create safe and confidential space for leaders to look into their gaps*, and to begin shrinking them inside the safety of confidential coaching sessions. Our clients realize greater joy in their work, gain tools that help them thrive in all of their relationships, and, as a result of their leadership, the entire organization enjoys work more, performs at higher levels, and proves more loyal for the long-haul.

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* There is a gap in all our lives between the values we espouse and the values we actually live. We call this the integrity gap and no one is exempt. The integrity gap is a human condition that can be reduced, but it takes humility, intentionality, and follow-through to realize greater integrity across our lives — whether at home, at work, or in our communities. If you have anyone that “follows” you in life (family members, employees, friends, etc.), you are a leader; how you live and lead matters. When you as a leader live with greater integrity (and shrink the gap), everyone in yourleadership wake benefits; but the converse is also true –everyone in your wake pays when your integrity gap is wide, it’s just a matter of time.

In our experience, we have discovered a pattern with organizational leaders in that they often don’t see their own integrity gap, or worse, don’t believe there is a gap at all. In not seeing the gap, a leader will not be aware of how their own issues may directly impact their leadership, influence, and effectiveness within their organizations. This is not just limited to their workplaces. If you are married, think about your marriage and family as your most important organization! Call it a blindspot or an intentional avoidance, either way, the result of a leader not addressing his/her integrity gap is a higher level of toxicity and dis-ease within the organizations they lead.

People within organizations being run by a leader with a large integrity gap must constantly work to react and cope with the tone and behaviors of the leader, and the systems that leader creates and utilizes. This is a waste of emotional energy, physical energy and time, all of which could be purposed toward creating a thriving culture — one where people love to come to work, perform at higher levels, and stay around. Often times, leaders with an integrity gap blindspot actually desire organizational health and for their people to thrive. Instead of seeing themselves as a key part of the path to the solutions they seek, they end up wasting vast amounts of resources treating symptoms in their organizations that do not bring about the sustained changes they hope for or actually need. The same is true for a leader’s most important organization: his/her family. That’s worth chewing on for a bit.

When a leader chooses not to believe they have a gap in their integrity, they often act like a bull in a china shop, with little to no concern for (or even awareness of) the damage they cause. Why would a leader think this way? Some are so driven they never take time to know and accurately evaluate themselves. Others are afraid;perhaps they would discover something they don’t consciously want to address. Unfortunately, there are some leaders that simply don’t care anymore, and choose to live to fulfill themselves at the expense of others around them. Have I stoked a memory of a boss you had once (or someone you know) that was like this? Did you vow you would never be like them?

There are many factors that contribute to each of these mindsets, but in reality, it is hard for leaders to find outlets for this honest and critical reflection. Many leaders are quick to think this work would be great for someone else, but not them! Nothing could be further from the truth. For authentic, transformative leadership to be realized in any person or organization, this integrity gap in the leader can and must shrink. Remember, as you develop your integrity as a leader, everyone in your leadership wake benefits, but the converse is also true; everyone in your wake pays when there are integrity gaps, it’s just a matter of time.

We spend most of our waking hours on the job. Why settle for mediocracy when you and your people can thrive? Highly profitable organizations (those that people want to work for and decide to stay in) are those that pay attention to the needs and wants of the people within; but you cannot give what you do not have. Commit to taking practical steps toward your own leadership development, and then model the way for others. We can take you there.

We offer Consulting and Coaching sessions at our Tualatin office ($175/hr), as well as create customized day retreats at the Living Wholehearted Lodge & Retreat located in Sherwood wine country. Contact us at 503-679-4623 or at jeff@livingwholehearted.com to explore this more.

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Organizational Retreats

After benefitting from individual, confidential coaching sessions, many of our clients want to bring greater organizational health to their workplace. A great start is an organizational retreat. Depending on the size and scope, these retreats can be executed on-site at your organization, or off-site at venues like our Living Wholehearted Lodge & Retreat. We utilize the Core Values Index (CVI) to help leaders and their teams discover their unique hard-wiring, as well as how that impacts day-to-day work, professional relationships, roles, and tasks. We hear time and time again from leaders and their teams that these retreats are the most significant and impactful experience they’ve had! The skills learned at your retreat transfer directly to your regular work rhythms, and create cultures where people thrive, performance improves, and retention increases. Contact us at 503-679-4623 or at jeff@livingwholehearted.com to explore this more.

“Our leadership retreat hosted by Living Wholehearted was the most valuable training time we have ever spent. The location was beautiful, the atmosphere relaxed and the discussions and activities transformational for our team. The LW Team are amazing resources and designed our day to exactly fit our needs. Living Wholehearted is guiding us to a new type of leadership. They have helped us to find a common vision and provided us with tools and perspective to find the best in ourselves and our employees.”

-Jim and Jodie Westing (Multi-unit Subway Franchisees)

Family Retreats

After realizing the value and benefits from individual work, many of our clients want to bring their families into the process for extended sessions. The family unit is the most important organization in the leader’s life. Our retreats offer leaders and their families an experience they will remember! In a beautiful retreat setting, coupled with good food, we will lead your family through the Core Values Index (CVI) to help you bond and connect. You will better understand one another’s hard-wiring and learn to honor each member more fully within the family system. Expect laughter and powerful insights into the relationships that matter most to you – your family! These Family Retreats run 8:30am – 2:30pm and are perfect for leaders, their spouses, and older elementary through adult-aged kids. Contact us at 503-679-4623 or at jeff@livingwholehearted.com to explore this more.

“Every year at Christmas, we try to give our family a gift that involves an activity we can do together. Last Christmas, we hired Living Wholehearted to take us all through the CVI. We learned so much about our own wiring and strengths, as well as each other’s. We also learned about the “dark-side” of our core values, and how that looks for each of us in our daily lives. We were given tools to help get us out, so that we can live in our strengths. The Living Wholehearted Team are wonderful to work with. They are down-to-earth and practical, but also very knowledgable and gifted. Our adult kids said it was their favorite gift that year.”

Certifications

With a 97% reliability rating, the Core Values Index (CVI) is most reliable human assessment available as it goes deeper than a person’s personality and is not influenced by environmental factors (the high’s and low’s of life). The CVI taps into a person’s un-changing, hard-wired nature and helps people understand WHY: they communicate, learn, contribute, handle conflict, and do things the way they do. I was trained by the creator of the CVI and work with couples, families, leaders, and their organizations to help them connect to these critical insights that when applied, translate into people enjoying a much higher quality of relationship with those they love, live, or work with.

SYMBIS stands Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts, a movement created by Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott. Studies show that couples who complete premarital counseling increase the likelihood of staying together by 31%. The SYMBIS pre-marriage assessment is an excellent tool to help couples start out on the right foot. Couples take this fun and easy-to-use assessment individually (online), and then I meet with them to go over their results in a span of 4-7 sessions, depending on the couple.